Dissemination practice and revision cycle
The Bundesbank produces the German monthly balance of payments, publishing the results in a press release and providing the time series on the internet. A more detailed technical and regional breakdown of the results is presented in the Statistical Series Balance of payments statistics around five to six weeks after the end of the reporting month.
Annual revisions for the previous reporting year and the three preceding years are made in the March Monthly Report. In the context of these retrospective monthly and annual revisions, consideration is given to late and correction reports as well as to more recent information from secondary sources, while preliminary estimates are either revised or replaced. Methodological adjustments, including those for earlier periods, are carried out at this point. Details on dissemination dates and revision policies are available for download.
The balance of payment statistics are published in the following formats:
- Time series databases;
- Press releases;
- Monthly Reports;
- Statistical Series Balance of payments statistics.
Revision policy
When publishing the provisional data for a given reporting month, the corresponding data for the previous month are generally revised (prior-month revision). These revisions contain new foreign trade data from the Federal Statistical Office, late and correction reports from reporting parties on external transactions, and other information subsequently made available. Overall, revisions are made to foreign trade data for each reporting month over a period of eight consecutive months. An additional annual revision takes place in November of the following year. These revised results are integrated into the balance of payments every time new balance of payments data are published.
Further revisions are carried out in connection with the regular revisions to the quarterly international investment position (i.i.p.). In the reporting months of January, April, July and October, results from the reconciliation of mirror statistics and on euro banknote issuance for the months in the preceding quarter are also incorporated. In September, currency in circulation for the months in the preceding quarter is also revised.